HMNZS Waiho

HMNZS Waiho was one of eight steel New Zealand-built Castle-class ships built and commissioned by the Royal New Zealand Navy during World War II. She was the last Castle-class trawler built for any navy.

HMNZS Waiho
History
New Zealand
Name	Waiho
Builder	Stevenson & Cook, Port Chalmers
Launched	19 February 1944
Commissioned	3 June 1944
Decommissioned	1946
Identification	Pennant number: T34/T403
Fate	Sold to Red Funnel Trawlers
Australia
Name	Matong
Owner	Red Funnel Trawlers
Acquired	1946
In service	1946
Out of service	1958
Fate	Scrapped in 1963
General characteristics
Class & type	Castle-class minesweeper
Displacement	625 tons
Length	135 ft (41 m)
Beam	23 ft (7.0 m)
Propulsion	Single screw, triple reciprocating engine
Speed	10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph)

Background

The vessel was ordered after the New Zealand government, facing a requirement for more minesweepers to operate in home waters, chose the Castle-class design because it was simple enough to be built with the country's limited ship construction facilities at the time.^[1]

Operational history

Waiho was the last of the nine steel minesweepers constructed for the Royal New Zealand Navy and was commissioned on 3 June 1944. the others being Aroha, Awatere, Hautapu, Maimai, Pahau, Waima, Waipu, and Waikato (never commissioned). She served with the 97th Auxiliary Minesweeping Group, located at Auckland.^[2]

The day she was commissioned, she ran aground and was towed off after two hours, suffering a twisted rudder and popped rivets.^[1][3] In 1944, the Waiho was struck by the Tui.^[3] In 1945, she struck the Auckland ferry Makora, with damage to the ferry. ^[3] In 1946, she was sold to Red Funnel Trawlers, and was towed to Australia by the Matai.^[4][3]

She began fishing in 1946, and was laid up in 1958.^[3] She was sold for scrap in 1963.